Rocio del Mar Trip Report, September 2013

[Sorrows]

Great TR! Thanks for doing this. Rocio del Mar is on my short list, hopefully next year.

But I hope they correct the lack of dessert faux pas by then....

I should mention that there is always a candy jar full of mini-chocolate bars available...you know, for energy!



---------- Post added October 8th, 2013 at 09:53 AM ----------

I'm glad this report was helpful. If anybody else has any comments/observations/opinions to share, please chime in! And if you have any photographs of this area, that would be wonderful. I know mine don't really do it justice.

Have a great trip to Socorro, beaverdivers! I'll look forward to a TR when you get back!

 

[TSandM]

Yes, thanks for the detailed report. We are going to the Socorros with the RDM in March, and I'm looking forward to it.

 

[NoBadDives]

I have been on the Rocio Del Mar (RDM) 6 times (4 to Socorro and 2 to the northern Sea of Cortez). The boat and crew are first rate. The cabins all have brand new memory foam style mattresses. The Media room is the most advanced I have ever seen on a live aboard. I'm not sure about the dessert faux pas mentioned above...we always had some sort of dessert after dinner on the RDM. The diving in the Sea of Cortez is truly unique and changes dramatically throughout the year. What you see can change by just moving the boat a few miles. I have over 500 dives in the Sea of Cortez and it continues to surprise me. The RDM also makes the trip out to Socorro. I have done this trip 6 times (4 on the RDM, 2 on the SMV). Socorro should be on everyones bucket list. Sharks galore (including whale sharks), Dolphin interaction (the real kind, not "dolphin experience" crap), huge schools of jacks and tuna, bait balls, and whales. I am going in February 2013 and hope to catch Humpbacks on scuba (2 spots still available if you're interested ). If you are tired of the same old Caribbean diving, check out the sera of Cortez, Socorro and the Rocio Del Mar.

 

[Sorrows]

NoBadDives, now that we've tried the Sea of Cortez, we would love to try the Socorro trip--especially during the winter months to see the humpback whales. How cold is the water at this time? And are rough seas a concern?

 

[chillyinCanada]

Thanks for this report sorrows. You've managed to get me thinking in a different direction.

 

[peeweediver]

Sorrows:
We were there in Feb 2013 for the humpbacks. Water temp ranged from 70 to 75. Seas were not rough on crossing, but kicked up a bit at Roca, the third island visited (a bird poop island the size of a very big house.). Surges at the "rock" can be interesting...your at 40 feet then 60 feet then back to 40 feet. Once we relaxed and went with the flow, it was fine.

Rob

 

[Griffins]

Sorrows, thanks for your detailed report. We were on the Rocio in July '13, and in reading your report realized just how badly I want to go back. The boat, diving, and especially crew are all incredible, and IMO it's the best liveaboard value available.

 

[Sorrows]

Amen to that, Griffins. We are in the planning stages of a Indonesian liveaboard trip--planning includes thinking of ways to pay for it! I am seriously considering the Socorros trip, even though we are such pathetic wusses when it comes to cold water.